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Shrine to the Dead Gods
'' A weathered statue of black stone sits in the desert. A door swings open, and stairs are revealed.'' This shrine in the Hyrcanian Desert holds statues of the Dead Gods: deities who are no longer worshipped, and whose names have been almost or all forgotten. The structure consists of an entrance built within a black stone statue of Anubus; stairs lead to a basement full of alcoves housing statues in various levels of repair. The statues are labelled in Celestial, which all visitors appear to be able to magically read. In addition, the shrine has a spectral guardian who explains the nature of the place to any visitors. Speak with Dead can be used on the statues within to communicate with the Dead Gods, though some are less talkative than others. The shrine has four wings, each dedicated to a different category of god. Gods are presented within each category in order of relevance to the Pathfinders' adventures to date. Leaders of Dead Pantheons At the entrance to the shrine. *The God-Emperor, reclining, wearing a laurel wreath and holding a goblet. A conversation revealed that he was a previous incarnation of the Arch-Psion. *Odin, a one-eyed man with a raven on each shoulder. Believed to be an ancestor of the orc god Gruumsh. The god granted a vision of a white raven within the Sawtooth Vale; the significance of this omen is unclear. *Zeus, a bearded man carrying a lightning bolt, a shapechanger who seduces mortal women. *Ao, faceless and without lines on the palms. *Quetzalcoatl, holding a spear and bloody heart. A sun god who received blood sacrifice. Ur-Gods At the far end of the shrine. These gods date back to the time before humanoids developed speech. *The Leveller, a pair of scales. This statue was not apparent upon the Pathfinders' entrance, but was restored as they explored the shrine. The Leveller removed the curse of Ananka from Erevis and Ballantino, and granted Erevis a vision. This vision indicated that funeral rites were the root of civilization in humans, and that Erevis should continue his work. It also explained that Erevis' deathly nature represented a postponement of the balancing of the scales, as opposed to the liches who sought to upset them entirely, and particularly the Necromancer, who the Leveller described as a sin against the universe. *Elihara, the Living Sun, an outline of a sun behind a dancing rabbit. This god serves as the other side of the Blackened Sun. *Goblyn, a goblinlike creature shown over a fire. The deity appears to represent some sort of essential goblin nature, with possible links to a creative force. The statue is oddly familiar to those who met the patron spirit of the Firewalkers in the Shadow Lodge, though when spoken to Goblyn appeared to have no knowledge of the meeting in the lodge and in fact grew angry when the matter was mentioned. *Bida, ancestor to the Thunderbird worshipped today. *Koza, a head with two daggers in the eyes. Unknown Gods At the right of the entrance. Also known as the Dodecatemoria, these are deities dating to before the advent of humanoids. Their true names are lost. After freeing the Bird-Man from the Shadow Lodge, all of the statues in this room crumbled save for the Bird-Man's. *The Bird-Man, wearing red leather, a white mask, a red-and white cape, and carrying a rapier. This deity is not dead; after escaping from his dimensional prison, he became a prisoner of the fey king Oberon, and was recently freed by the Pathfinders. Previously Present Statues *Happiness, appearing as a joker on fire. Happiness was initially able to speak directly to the Pathfinders without the aid of Speak with Dead, and asked them to rescue his sister-brother, the Bird-man, from Oberon. Once this feat was accomplished, the Pathfinders found that they were no longer able to speak to Happiness even with the aid of magic. *Hatred, appearing as a mummy with hair made out of worms. This statue elicited a strange but decidedly non-supernatural fear from Alejandra. This god was supposedly killed by the Twin Gods of Destruction, and his remains empowered the being known as the Necromancer. *An angel wearing a cagelike mask. A similar image of this statue was seen in the Elder Wizard's Cube. *A form composed of many metal plates. Dark Gods At the left of the entrance. *Zuggtmoy, Queen of Fungus. Claimed that her scion, Iuz, was preparing to cover the world in fungus and bring about her rebirth. Unfortunately, Iuz is also a dead god. Gorgoroth obtained a kiss from the goddess, rendering him at least for the time being immune to the effects of poisonous fungi. *Assyrarak, a jeweled skull. An ancient demilich, possibly the first such creature. This god did not respond to Speak with Dead. *A goatlike figure with an arcane symbol for a face. Gorgoroth recieved a boon from this god in exchange for some of his blood. *Eurynome, a hag, mother of monsters, master of beasts, eater of young. *A giant worm. *A robed figure with a mace, skull, and teardrop necklace. Category:Landmarks Category:Hyrcanian Desert Category:Shrines